Ms. Choo Brasserie and Bar – Senopati Jakarta

Feels like we have been reviewing a never ending numbers of restaurant at Senopati area. Please do not get bored by it since it’s currently one of the hippest area for upscale dining in South Jakarta. I went by this new name during a lunch session with friends at Cacaote. Ms. Choo is just located across the street in a familiar building, which I later realized that it was preoccupied by Publico before. This new venture is still under the same management as Publico, but the whole concept is new including the menu.

The name Ms. Choo reminded me of a Vietnamese-inspired restaurant in Melbourne, called Miss Chu. After looking at the menu, I noticed that the menus here were somewhat Asian inspired as well from Vietnam, Thailand and a little bit of China. The building has three storeys with the ground floor used only for VIP roomissand soon to be pastry area. The second floor, which is the non-smoking main dining section, can be accessed through the circular stair from the lower storey. The third floor is the smoking area with less seating capacity since half of the storey is void with a view to the main dining and the bar.

The interior of the venue emit sophistication and elegance. I love how the lights on the brick walls behind the stairs and above the bars connected each floors. The use of wooden flooring and checker tile brought about richness to the whole ambiance. The place felt much bigger with the smart application of void and high ceiling on each floor.

The top floor was also richly decorated with framed-mirrors and vintage plates on the brick wall. The wide angle of sight to the floor below also helped create a relaxing and groovy dining atmosphere.

Dining here gave you a sense of classiness while also laid back on some degree. The table and the dining utensils were arranged casual dining style with a touch of elegance. I like the newspaper design on the place mat. It went along well with the whole concept.

I am starting the review with beverages this time since they feature quite a few interesting cocktails and mocktails selection on the menu. We decided to have several to get the general taste of the drinks there.

Sparkling Sour Plum (IDR 35K) – Sour plum, calamansi, mint and soda. The taste of this soda drink was refreshing with a hint of mint and strong sourness from the plum. It might be a tad too sour for some, but I liked the balance. In fact, I drank it up before I even finished my dinner.

Soymilk Pandan Grassjelly (IDR 35K) – Soymilk, grass jelly, pandan leaves and palm sugar. The drink did sound asian influenced right with a blend of ingredients like grass jelly and pandan leaves. It was good but nothing special. A bit too soymilky for me as I am not a big soymilk drinker. But then again, I think the combination works.

White Empress (IDR 65K) and Pink Blossom (IDR 75K)
These two cocktails were my favourite of the night.White Empress, with a mix of gin, lychee liquor, rose petal syrup, egg whites, and lychee juice, was the bomb. It was the better cocktail between the two for me. As a matter of fact, I drank two glasses of this concoction from the bar. I would like to applaud the bartender for this creation.Pink Blossom, with a mix of gin, raspberry, yoghurt milk, and lemon juice, gave a sweet and fruity taste that I like in a cocktail drink. The level of alcohol from the gin was just right.

Miss Choo’s Iced Tea (IDR 65K) – Black tea, rum, simple syrup, lemon juice and lemongrass. I found the drink to be ordinary. The bitterness that came with the rum was a bit overwhelming for me. Probably a tad less rum would be better.

Now, let’s get on with the food menu. After all, dining is all about filling up the belly right 🙂

StartersSzechuan chili salt school prawns with shrimp paste chili and sriracha coriander aioli (IDR 48K) – The prawns were crispy with nice salty and chili taste. A great snack to accompany your drinking session. I prefer the brownish coloured sriracha coriander aioli sauce to go with the prawns.

Deep fried prawn and almond ball with sriracha coriander aioli (IDR 48K) – This starter is alright, however it was kinda ordinary. The hero of the dish was actually the sriracha sauce.

Charcoal oven barbeque pork “Mu Yang” with nam jim jaew dipping sauce (IDR 48K) – The barbeque pork had a hint of charcoal smell that made it unique. The texture of the meat was good and tender. Dipping it into the nam jim jaew sauce made it taste sublime.

SaladsSoft shell crab pomelo salad with cashew and green mango salad with nuoc cham dressing (IDR 55K) – The salad was fresh with some sourness from the green mango and the nuoc cham dressing. The soft shell crab, however, gave the dish a delightful complement.

Curry and BraiseDeep fried soft shell crab yellow curry and kaffir lime leaves (IDR 78K) – I am a fan of Thai yellow curry myself. I have not tried a yellow curry with this particular combination though. Surprisingly, the deep fried soft shel crab and the curry worked well together. A nice choice for thai yellow curry fans.

Crispy and GrilledGrilled dry spice ribeye beef fillet with nam jim jaew (IDR 98K) – The beef fillet came up slightly tough for me. I think it’s supposed to be served dry hence the name, but I personally liked it to be more juicy and tender.

Crispy twice cooked pork belly with caramel tamarind glaze and nam prik pla (IDR 95K) – Are you a pork belly lover? If yes, then it’s the dish you should order here. The pork belly was juicy and tender with a rather crispy skin on top. The caramel glazing on the meat gave a nice sweet flavour to it. But if you prefer it to be less sweet, you can dip it into the sauce on the side to add a bit spice and sourness to balance the sweetness.

Roasted seabass fillet with coconut red curry Thai basil lime in banana leaves (IDR 85K) – It’s one unique dish that you did not see in many restaurants. The seabass was roasted properly and tasted fresh which is essential in a seafood dish. The strong flavour that came with the red curry and basil was alright for me. For some people who have a particular dislike against basil, you might want to skip it or asked the kitchen to exclude it if possible.

Crispy pork hock on the bone with tamarind sauce and nam jim jaew (IDR 280K) – I was told that this one is their signature dish. When I got a glimpse of what the server brought it to our table, I was a bit startled by the size of it. This enormous portion of the meat served can be shared by two to three persons I am sure. The skin was crispy with a tender meat inside. Great dish!

Wok and Stir FriedStir fried clamissnam prik pao and Thai basil (IDR 65K) – The clamisswere cooked properly. If you overcooked it, the meat would surely become tough. I like how they use nam prik pao or the thai chili jam to spice up the clamiss It helped balance out the somewhat fishy smell you usually get from seafood.

DessertValrhona mint chocolate mars bar peanuts with salted caramel sauce (IDR 48K) – If you like chocolate, this dessert is absolutely the one to go. The mint chocolate mars bar was divine with additional kick from the salted caramel sauce.

Fried Hazelnut Nutella sesame balls with vanilla bean ice cream (IDR 40K) – This dessert was definitely the champion of the night. I love how the hazelnut nutella melted on your mouth when you bit it. The scent and taste of sesame from the sesame balls combined extremely well with the nutella. I could not stop eating this one despite my incredibly full tummy if you can imagine.

Vanilla Pandan Panacotta with salted gula malaka and coconut chantily (IDR 40K) – I loved this version of asian-inspired panacotta. With vanilla pandan and salted gula malaka, this panacotta boasted a relaxing natural taste with a nice salt and sweet taste from the gula malaka.

Lemongrass Panacottawith lime granite mint leaf and honeycomb caramel (IDR 40k) – also love this other asian-inspired panacotta with the scent of lemongrass and caramel on top

Facing challenges from tight competition in the area, Ms. Choo maneuvered itself by switching from western cuisine under Publico, to an asian-inspired cuisine. I think it is a smart strategy from the management team that also brought you P&B coffee shop at PIK. I love what they have to offer from the ambiance, the food and the drinks. It has surely brought more diversity and sophistication to senopati’s dining scene.